Cartilage is a proteinaceous material found in the joints of mammals. It is an elastic, spongy substance which covers the articular surfaces of the bones within the synovial cavity. The presence of cartilage, with its special properties of compressibility elasticity and deformability, permits joints to carry out there two major functions which are to bare weight and to facilitate locomotion.
Degradation of joints occurs in various diseases including rheumitoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, osteoarthosis, hypertropic arthritis, and osteoarthritis. Further, acute inflammation of joints may be accompanied by destruction of the cartilage. Examples of diseases involving acute joint inflammation are yersinia arthritis, pyrophosphate arthritis, gout arthritis, and septic arthritis. Also, another factor that may be conducive to destruction or degeneration of cartilage is treatment with cortisone